Side spring for vehicles



W. SHINNICK.

- SIDE SPRING FOR VEHICLES.

No. 291,789. Patented Jan. 8 1884.

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UNITED STATES PATENT EErcE.

VILLIAM SHINNIOK, OF SHELBYVILLE, KENTUCKY.

SIDE SPRING FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 291,789, dated January 8, 1884.

Application filed October 3, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM SHINNIOK, of Shelbyville, in the county of Shelby and State of Kentucky, have invented new and Improved Side Springs forVchicles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention consists of a novel contrivance of side springs for equalizing the action, in an arrangement of the vehicle for carrying the load nearer one end of the body than the other, and to provide simple construction and substantial and easy springs, all as hereinafter fully described.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the springs and side bars of my improved contrivance. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 3 is a detail section on line 00 a" of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a do tail section on line 3/ y of Fig. 2.

The body I of the vehicle is attached to jacks 0, consisting of steel bars adapted to serve, to some extent, as springs, and being jointed at f to the ends of short half-elliptic springs B, which are clipped at the center of their backs to the backs of the longer similar springs, A, which have one end connected by shackles a with a cranked bar, D, suspended from under the side bars, F, by clips (1, near the front ends of said side bars. The other ends of springs A are connected by shackles a with the cranked bar E, suspended from side bars, F, near the rear end, in pivot-bearings e, enabling said rod E to swing sufficiently to accommodate the lengthening and shortening of the springs A.

The springs B are connected to springsA about the same distance nearer the hind ends of said springs A as the weight of the riders is nearer said ends when seated in the carriage, thus enabling the springs A to be more flexible in front than rear in the proportion that the load is lighter.

It is to be noted that this improved spring device is applied to a rigid side-bar frame without a reach; and it will be seen that the strain on the upper sections of the springs is relieved, when forced down by the load, by the elastic action of the jacks working freely in the eyes by which they are connected to the said upper sections of the springs. The lower sections of the springs, taking their share of the stress of the load, have free range for extension and contraction by the pivotal arrangement of bar E, the whole making a spring that equally distributes the strains over all parts, and thereby reducing the chances of fracture. The cranked bar I), being rigidly connected to the side bars, makes less joints for wear, and prevents the swing of the body forward and backward that would otherwise occur, and the pivoted bar E affords the necessary play of the springs lengthwise.

My improved spring affords the steady motion of the elliptic spring, and at the same time allows the body to hang as low as desired.

Having thus described my invention, whatI claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The springs A, having the body connected to them by springs B and jacks C, and being connected to the side bars, F, by the rigidly-attached cranked bar D and the piv- 'oted cranked bar E, substantially as described.

2. The vehicle side springs, A A, each having an upward convexity nearer to the rear than the front end thereof, in combination with superposed body supporting springs made fast to said conveXities, whereby the strain of the load may be equalized on the springs, where the greatest weight is rearwardly beyond the middle of the vehicle-body, as described.

3. The springs A, shackled to the front cranked bar, D, rigidly attached to the side bars, and also shackled to the cranked bar E, that is pivoted to the side bars, in combination with springs B, jacks C, and the body I, substantially as described.

WM. snnvlvrok. 

